Everyone deserves a chance to fly
by IAmKazaam1981
Summary: I came to turn the Wizard over to the rebellion. But I realized he was just an ordinary guy that needed his chance to fly. Kind of borrows from the Book and the Musical. Constructive Criticism Welcome


Everyone Deserves the Chance to Fly.

A Fanfic by

The Magestik Oracle

Disclaimer: I do not own Wicked, it belongs to Gregory Maguire.  
Author's Note: I've always been upset by how The Wizard's story ended. He had to have some redeeming qualities to him.

All was silent in the bare room above the Emerald City. The Wizard, a small, bald man sat on a box that served as his chair all this time. After using some quick talking skills to grant the wishes of the straw man, the robot and the beast, he felt drained. He knew there was no way to grant Dorothy's wish. He retired to his room amongst whispers that the wizard's power was waning.

While the people of Oz celebrated, there was a rebellion hiding underneath. And the wizard feared that most of all. As he sat, pondering his next move, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," The wizard barked, "And be quick about it."

The doors opened, and Lady Glinda walked in. She wore a simple pink dress that showed off her beautiful figure. She smiled gently at the wizard. She looked in his eyes, and knew he knew why she was there. She'd gone to turn him over to the rebellion. He was to be killed without trial. But Glinda was a little more forgiving than those who were rebelling. She would give him a one on one trial before turning him in.

Maybe it was a trick of the light. Suddenly the Wizard didn't look as tall and imposing as he'd once done. Now he looked like a small man, who looked crushed by the weight of his failure. Had she not been so angry at him, she might have felt some pity.

"I thought you might want some company," She said. "May I come in?"

The Wizard shrugged, "Pull up a box," He said. "What can I do for you?"

Glinda pulled out a small bottle with a ripped sticker that said, "Miracle E." "Dorothy found this at Kiamo Ko," Glinda said, handing the bottle over to the Wizard. "I have seen something like this only once before."

The Wizard nodded. "It was one of my special products in the old world, Kansas," He said.

"You were a salesman?"

There was no point in hiding it anymore. If he returned to his home, he'd have to answer for his crimes anyway. If nothing else, this was good practice. Maybe he could use his voice and intonations to clear himself of any crime.

The wizard stood up and gave her a bright smile, when he next spoke, his voice was suddenly robust. "My dear lady, I am known as Professor Marvel, Fortune Teller, Miracle Maker and Medicine Man. I've traveled from Albuquerque to Walla Walla and back again, selling my miracle elixirs to anybody who needed a cure all."

"So you were rich?"

"Not filthy rich," The Wizard replied. "But I had enough money to live comfortably. I always said I'd get out of the game before it could backfire on me. But there's always that thing on the horizon. That one last try that taunts you. Do you know what I'm saying?"

Glinda thought back to her last trip to Kiamo Ko when she said goodbye to Elphaba. "I know what you're saying."

The wizard smiled.

Glinda pulled herself into a dignified sitting position. "What was the one last go 'round for you?"

The wizard stared into the emptiness across the room. His eyes misted over with the tears of jaded memories. "It was the Omaha State Fair. There'd be enough people there for me to sell my potion to and retire a wealthy man. But I didn't count on a vacationing couple from Memphis a few weeks back. The man bought my elixir thinking that it would cure his weight problem. It didn't, and he exposed me as a fraud."

"So what happened? Did they force you out of town?"

"That would've been the lucky thing," The Wizard replied. "No, they were forming a lynch mob. Planning on hanging me for my crimes. As I tried to peddle my wares, I saw the pitchforks and the noose prepared. It was only a matter of time."

"So what happened?"

He began speaking in a more fast paced voice, "So I performed one last stunt. I proclaimed that I would prove my magic by dropping from the sky and living. So I climbed into the nearest balloon, and took off. I stood near the side, ready to jump over, when I had a sudden change of luck. The wind shifted and I was blown here."

Glinda mulled over what the wizard said, "So your entrance from the sky was what prompted the people of Oz to make you a wizard?"

"Yes," The Wizard replied, "And so I took the position. I figured that I could start over again. Then I found the last two bottles of elixir and found Melina."

"Elphaba's mother?"

The Wizard nodded. "You see, after screwing up everything I've ever tried, my only dream left was to be a Father. But as I became more powerful, I had to keep hidden. Before things started getting out of Control, I found Melina. I passed myself off as a simple traveling salesman who was looking for some human kindness. I think she genuinely loved me at one point. Though I'm not quite sure. In either case, I helped her conceive Elphaba. As I'm sure you've guessed."

"A child of both worlds," Glinda said, more to herself than any other.

"That's correct," The Wizard replied, "I was a father."

"So you reached your goal," Glinda said, "You were a father. Why didn't you reach out to Elphaba?"

"I tried," The wizard replied. "But like everything else, I screwed it up. Elphaba turned from me, and try as I might, I couldn't get her to see the truth."

The wizard stopped talking, he put his face in his hands and began to cry. Glinda sighed. She'd originally come to expose the wizard and hand him over to the rebellion. However, this wasn't the same confident wizard who had proclaimed her Glinda the Good all those years ago. Now he just seemed like an old man who was going to die without even having one positive accomplishment. She realized that she had to remedy this. Her anger abated long ago, replaced now by pity and a feeling of remorse for the man. She realized that there was a way he didn't have to die. She just had to convince him of it. _The verdict. I find him innocent._

"What if I can get you out of Oz?" Glinda asked.

"You mean go back to Kansas? And be killed there?"

Glinda shook her head, "No, there has to be some place in your land that hasn't heard of Professor Marvel. You could touch down somewhere that's new for you."

"What about Dorothy?" The Wizard asked.

"Those shoes will help her get back," Glinda replied. "I know a little secret behind them. Don't worry about her, I'll send her home after I'm sure you're gone."

"Thank you, Glinda," The Wizard said, getting up and heading over to a large box where the Omaha State Fair Balloon was curled up.

"Here," She said. She made a magic pass and turned the balloon's color black, and erased the Omaha State Fair from it. "Now you have a clean ticket back to your home. Are you ready?"

The wizard packed up a few belongings, and followed Glinda (and the balloon she bewitched) up to the roof. There, the balloon was raised.

"Thank you for everything," The wizard said, putting the green bottle back into Glinda's hand. "I'll never forget your kindness."

"And I'll never forget what I've learned from you," Glinda replied. "Take care of yourself, Professor Marvel."

As she watched the balloon go, Glinda began to realize that there was more to everybody's story than she knew. Elphaba was a kind soul who, because of her color, was thought of as wicked. And the Wizard, who was generally hated, tried to make the best out of a bad situation. They truly deserved each other. Thinking of this made Glinda cry. She shed a few tears before turning back towards the palace. She had a mess to clean up now, and there was no time for the sadness.

As she watched him go, she thought of what Elphaba had said all those years ago. "Everyone Deserves a Chance to Fly."

As the wizard floated away, back towards his home, he began to think of a new life. No longer were the shadows of his dreams haunted by death and lynching. Now his dreams included setting down, finding the perfect girl, and maybe even becoming the perfect father. Everybody deserves the chance to fly, this time it was his.


End file.
